547046 Sat Aug 09 09:41:28 -0700 2008 7 34 Wine 0 3943183 As many "regular" readers of this board already know, I spent many years in the wine trade, including some 15 years as a wine writer. As a wine writer, I would write articles on various regions of the world, on a single (or multiple) producer(s) in a region, or on a particular grape. I would always include tasting notes as a part of my magazine stories, my newspaper articles, my radio shows -- but there was never any doubt that these were MY tasting notes. It seems to me there is a distinct difference between the role of a wine writer and that of a wine critic. Wine writers generally tell a story, and include tasting notes in so doing. Wine critics provide tasting notes, with little or no backstory or context to the TN's beyond "2012 was a great vintage in the ___________, and the wines show this in their . . . " Their purpose seems to have devolved to "two thumbs up," to borrow a well-known phrase from another area of criticism (or in this specific case, of reviews rather than criticism, but that's for a different discussion board). There are literally tens of thousands of wines out there. It is impossible for anyone -- amateur or professional; wine writer or critic -- to taste them all. Wine writers can cover some; wine critics can cover a heck of a lot more. But no one can cover them all: thousands of wines go unreviewed each and every year, and many of them are worthy of purchasing and enjoying . . . But no wine critic is God. There is no right-or-wrong when it comes to tasting a sound, well-made wine. It's YOUR taste buds you have in your mouth, not those of a critic or a writer or a best friend or a spouse. There is nothing more important, no tool more valuable, than your own taste buds, your own opinion. Writers and critics can provide a useful guide, but they are by no means definitive. Most people I know have loved wines that I have enjoyed, but they've also not loved wines that I have enjoyed -- our tastes may (or may not) be similar, but no matter how similar, they are never identical. This is no less true for people like Robert Parker, Stephen Tanzer, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, Gary Vaynerchuk, or anyone else you can name or think of . . . One of the major problems is that there is no way to "tailor" the notes or opinions of a critic to your own palate. The more consistent a critic's palate is, the easier it is to calibrate his or her tasting notes to your own palate, but there is still no direct connection, no direct contact. If I (or anyone else) write up a TN and praise ______________ to high heaven, the only way anyone else will know if they might like it is to fork out the cash and try it for themselves. But there is no way for the reader to provide the writer with feedback. This is where a knowledgeable retailer CAN be EXTREMELY helpful. When you walk into what I will term a "serious" wine merchant, the people who work there will have tasted most if not all the wines in the store. If the customer can describe what he or she is looking for, the merchant can help steer them in the right direction. Returning to the same store later and providing the merchant with direct and specific feedback -- whether or not you liked the wine -- will mean that merchant can "zero in" on precisely the type(s) of wines that customer is looking for . . . Writers and critics can be a great guide -- but they are the first step, not the last one, in separating the proverbial wheat from the chaff. Just my 2¢ -- no doubt worth far less -- feel free to keep the change . . . Cheers, Jason Sat Aug 09 09:41:40 -0700 2008 28122 zin1953 1 3943641 Thanks for this post. I need to print this out and send it to my dad, who practically apologized for any wine he opened that did not have the seal of approval from some wine "expert." Yet, on the other hand, if it was a high-priced wine, he would say it was wasted on him because he doesn't know enough to appreciate a good wine. It drove me nuts. Our usual conversation about a bottle of wine goes something like this: ME: "So, Dad, what do you think?" DAD: "Well, I don't know, I'm not an expert." ME: "You don't need to be an expert to tell me if YOU like it or not." DAD: "It's fine for me, but I don't know anything about wine. So you tell me, is it a good wine?" Sat Aug 09 14:28:11 -0700 2008 3943183 86402 brandygirl 2 3943666 The most important thing you can ever say about a wine is "Yum" or "Yuck." Sat Aug 09 14:45:58 -0700 2008 3943641 28122 zin1953 1 3943825 Great post, Jason. I agree 100% that having a knowledgeable wine retailer who knows what you like is far more helpful than just buying blind from the reviews of a critic. And that isn't just because it can be tough to find the highest-rated bottles reviewed by critics. With a wine retailer, you can discuss what you might like, the retailer will almost always have it available for sale, and if you're in such a place and have a good relationship with the retailer, he or she might even open a bottle to taste before you buy it. Sat Aug 09 16:27:03 -0700 2008 3943183 207021 sbonagof 2 3964737 One more advantage: As I've mentioned before, whenever wine writers/critics publish reviewed of new releases (not barrel samples), the time needed for writing up and publishing something like The Wine Advocate or Wine Spectator often means that months go by and the wines will already be sold out by the time the issue is mailed/on newsstands. Talking to a knowledgeable retail will often get those wines into your hands BEFORE the reviews are published, as well as "turning you on" to wines that never get reviewed . . . Newspaper columnists have 52 articles to write a year. Generally, you know that there will be a Champagne-themed article before New Year's (and maybe another one before the June "wedding season"); there might be a rosé article around Valentine's Day or, if not, in the summer; as Fall approaches, there will be something on Port and other fortified wines; there will probably be an article on Beaujolais Nouveau, and one on wines and/or wine-related items for gift-giving a the holidays; and so on and so on . . . given that, coupled with the limitation of "how many wines can you recommend in a newspaper article?" and wine columnists -- no matter how good he/she/they might be, they are also extremely limited in the number of wines they can write up in a 52-week period. The same is no less true for monthly publications by wine critics -- especially when you think that (e.g.) a region like Bordeaux gets covered three times: as barrel-samples, as recently bottled wines, and again after the wines hit the market. Sun Aug 17 17:55:10 -0700 2008 3943825 28122 zin1953 1 3965279 Wine writers typically attempt to educate the reader on the basics of whatever subject is at hand, eventually (hopefully) providing the reader with the tools necessary to choose for himself. There is an attempt to empower the reader that is not really present in the critiquings of the critics. Essentially it boils down to something like the old Chinese (by way of Oxfam) axiom: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Critics are busy handing out fishes. Of course, this all ain't cut-and-dried since some critics also write books that go beyond shopping lists, and some writers also hand out reccos. Mon Aug 18 00:16:02 -0700 2008 3943183 190129 ipponwara 1 3969932 Great post, Jason! I have a lot of "discussions" with friends who try to make me out a critic. I'm a writer! I get a kick out of the folks who always are asking which critic I "follow," are are disappointed when I say "my mouth." Making friends with a knowledgeable wine merchant is the best way to learn about wine, and to minimize buying wines you don't/won't like. Your wine merchant gets to know your palate and can recommend wines he feels fairly sure you will enjoy and will go with your food. Overall, these days, I am far more likely to shop producer than vintage. The odds are much better, imho. Tue Aug 19 13:49:16 -0700 2008 3943183 52499 ChefJune 1 3977803 Jason/Zin1953 - I am a travel and food writer, and when I post a restaurant writeup on my culinary/food blog, I often gently explain to people that it is not a "review," because I am not a critic. Fri Aug 22 06:53:18 -0700 2008 3943183 54833 ClaireWalter